The Spindle - Layers of Reality

A common metaphor used to explain the differing planes of reality that make up the universe, the Spindle is the idea that all reality is arranged in a great spiral around a center hub. The innermost fixed point is the truest form of the universe, while the outermost reaches are almost infinitely mutable to the desires of those who inhabit them.

The Layers of the Spindle

When organized via the Spindle theory, the layers of reality follow a few basic rules that make their existence easier to categorize:

1. The Spindle is the center, or 'inward', with all other planes or layers being increasingly further 'outward'.
2. The Spindle is the most fixed version of reality. The further outward a plane is, the less true a representation of the original world it is and the more subject it is to change or recreation.
3. The Spindle itself is intensely magical, but the Old World that most closely borders it is not. Magic then becomes more and more heavily saturating the further 'outward' a plane is located.

the planes of reality as they're arranged around the Spindle

Not all layers of reality are continuous; while the inward layers like the Worldshadow and the Old World are distinct, infinite places, the outward layers found in the Otherlands are often small self-enclosed worlds largely held together by the will and power of their creators. Similarly, the outward layers are in near-constant flux. What exists in the Otherlands one day may not be there the next, shifting as constantly as the balance of power between the Evernight's inhabitants.
The following are the planes and routes between them, roughly arranged from innermost to outermost:

The Worldshadow

The Worldshadow is the innermost reality, and the metaphorical spindle around which all other reality is wound. It's the domain of Lore, god of time and darkness, and is a place of perpetual night where time stands still. Generally thought to be the 'true' version of reality which was the first to be created out of the loose magic of the Evernight, all other fixed planes mirror the Worldshadow's original state.

The Old World

The original 'real world' and the primary plane of material reality, the Old World now serves as the mostly non-magical counterpart to the magical world of Genesis. It's the reality we know and the place where almost all mortals lived before the Shattering; since then, it's become the modern world with an overwhelmingly human population and lost a great deal of its innate magic that was stripped away in the process of creating a whole new plane.

Genesis

Also referred to as the Shards of Genesis, Genesis is a collection of 'shards' that were created using parts of the Old World as it appeared at the time of the Shattering. It's not entirely known whether the shards are entirely new creations, or whether they actually pulled away portions of the Old World that were then recreated using the blueprint of the Worldshadow. The shards of Genesis are not contiguous, and each one is encircled by magical boundaries with entrances to and from the Old World. It's impossible to travel directly between the shards.

The Painted Ways

The Painted Ways aren't a plane themselves, but rather a magically constructed series of pathways made by the same individual who created Genesis. Their entrances and exits are anchored in many locations within the Old World, but the Ways themselves are thought to arc out through the magical void of the Evernight; they seem to bend time and distance in a way that vastly shortens journeys between one point and another.

The Otherlands

Not so much a single plane as many, the Otherlands is the collective name for many small realities that float suspended in the Evernight. Their distance from the material plane varies, and the further out a part of the Otherlands exists the harder it is to reach via magic. The nearest portions are populated by lesser demons and spirits, while the farther reaches hold the domains of the most powerful and otherworldly beings.

The Evernight

The Evernight is the vast, theoretically infinite void of darkness and unformed magic in which the Otherlands are located. Those who wield powerful enough magic can shape it to their will, creating domains for themselves in whatever form they please; some beings, such as the Blood Gods forgo this entirely and live in the darkness between worlds instead. Reaching any portion of the Otherlands or summoning those that live there means traversing the Evernight, which is a dangerous proposition as the magical 'pressure' increases the further outwards one travels. Its outermost depths can be visited only with the help of the beings that live there.

The Realms of the Gods

Technically part of the Otherlands, the realms of the gods exist so exponentially far out in the Evernight that they're completely beyond mortal reach. Many have never been seen, and what these lands look like remains unknown.

The Dreamroad

Not entirely understood, the Dreamroad is a mysterious place thought to run the length of the planes. It appears to touch all places simultaneously, with only a few fixed entrances, and usually appears and vanishes depending on the will of the Hidewalker. Notably, the Dreamroad appears to completely ignore the 'pressure' of the Evernight and is the most common way by which mortals can encounter the gods in their own realms without being specifically summoned there.

a more fanciful view of the planes
as ascending levels